Tues 30th Oct 2001.

Cardiff City
Walton
Young
McCulloch (Giles 72)
Hughes
Jones (Thompson 72)
Hamilton
Bonner
Maxwell (Nugent 81)
Low
Fortune West
Collins

Subs not used
Jordan
Evans

Peterborough
Tyler
Joseph
Rea
Williams (FRanch 85)
Jelleyman
Bullard (Shields 85)
Oldfield
Danielsson
Cullen
McKenzie (Green 79)
Fenn

Subs not used
Connor
Murray

Report from NigelBlues.
After polishing off Rushden's Diamonds in Round One, City found themselves 2nd class to superior Posh, yet again, disappeared from the LDV Trophy with barely a whimper. Posh, run by the owner of Pizza Express, were undoubtedly the upper crust.

The game was won and lost in the attitude of the clubs to the match. Peterborough are 5th in Division Two, play their next league game on Saturday yet selected their first team. The only concessions they made to the occasion was that they seemed to arrive without a physio as Clive Goodyear looked after both sides while Barry Fry either sat in the Grandstand first-half, drank in the bar or slept on the coach, take your pick. He wasn't his usual animated self by the dugout 2nd half, City gave him little to worry about.

Meanwhile, Cardiff, 15th in Div 2 and not playing until Sunday decided not only to select their fringe players but use many not involved from the 1st round side who demolished Rushden because the management wanted to use a rotation system of selecting the reserves, something they wouldn't consider for the first team. We had a weaker team against a strong Div 2 team than we used against a mediocre Div 3 team in Round One, it was always likely to be too much to ask.

The final score, despite a poor performance, was maybe unfair as City gave away a crazy early penalty and fell away badly in the final 15 minutes. The group of Bluebirds on display tonight have probably never played together before, even at reserve level. It showed but there was very little to choose between both teams in the middle period with City having the better of the chances in that span. That said, we never looked like scoring.

What will annoy many fans is that this is possibly City's best chance of winning silverware this season - in a competition that climaxes with a Millennium Stadium final. We were 3 wins away from being there had we come through tonight but we waved the white flag. They treated the game and competition with contempt so got what they deserved ultimately.

The signs were ominous as early as the 6th minute when Scott McCulloch stupidly hacked down Neale Fenn for the most obvious penalty to be seen anywhere this season. The spot kick by BULLARD was buried with ease, welcome back Scottie.

For those interested in him, I honestly have to report that he will never break into our first team until he loses weight and gets fitter. He came to Ninian with excess weight and a lack of fitness and 12 months later, he is in worse shape. To have selected him ahead of Matt Brazier was silly.

On the ball, he showed that he is undoubtedly a good player. His passing and vision is better than most and with a great left foot, he should be an asset to the club. But with no pace whatsoever, an inability to align himself in the formation and a lack of stamina, it's enough to get Ian Dury out of his grave to sing "What a waste". McCulloch has no chance of getting anywhere near the first team until he sorts himself out.

Once City settled, it was end to end but with very few moments of real quality and action. Moves broke down, passes went astray and there was far less organisation on our side. And still the crowd got on their backs or booed individuals after mistakes were made.

Des Hamilton was an early force and provided City's first real effort with a 20 yard drive that went wide but the best moment of the match was a superb 30 yard Layton Maxwell smash shot which was brilliantly tipped over by Tyler. In one instant, it was maybe the best shot and best save (other than Alexander's at Swindon) we've seen this season. A minute later, Mark Walton made a similar great save tipping over a 20 yard belter.

City were frustrating with very few players standing out. The pick was Layton Maxwell who was the only Bluebird who could be satisfied with his personal performance. Josh Low tried to make things happen but frequently messed up but these two players were the only threats we had.

Many will criticise Low who will never be considered for a remake of 'My Left Foot' but playing on his natural right side, he was a threat. He pleases and frustrates in equal measures. He should have scored straight after the Posh goal but, scared to try his left peg, the time he wasted adjusting himself saw his drive fly very high and very wide.

James Collins looked interested and worked hard then faded. Leo was never really in the game although his 20 yard diving header after a Tyler miskick was funny but so was Collins making a run in the expectancy that Leo would miss a flick on altogether only to be denied because Leo got his head to the ball.

After the penalty, it was an even half but City never really looked like equalising. Too much confusion about their play, too many players 'scared' to shoot and too many players off form.

H/T Cardiff 0 Posh 1

With a game that had to be decided on the night, using golden goal extra-time and penalties if need be, City had good incentive to fight and make a game of it. But when they missed the best chance of the game, shortly after the restart, you suspected it was all over.

Having survived an early scare with Scott Young clearing off the line from a corner kick scramble, Layton Maxwell took the ball in midfield and with a superb run, took on the Peterborough defence by going wide and around them as he burst into the area. He looked up, showed great vision to pick the unmarked Josh Low at the far post and clipped the ball over for Low to surely place home from 5 yards with Tyler helpless. But we are talking about Josh Low, whose politics cannot be left wing. He was clueless how to shape himself and simply stuck his left peg out, enough to deflect the ball harmlessly wide of the gaping net, it was harder to do that than get it on target.

Moments later, he showed his best side as his pace took him past 2 defenders, top the by-line and his clipped far post ball saw Collins unluckily blocked. More frequently, Low was blocked or if he ever cut inside with a great shooting opportunity, the moment was lost as he was simply too scared to try with his left foot and was closed down trying to get back on his right.

Maxwell, was easily City's best player, but as the half dragged on, he became bogged down looking up to find nobody wide with Leo and Collins static.

It was time for change but the selections on the bench left City with no real options - we had 4 defenders and 1 apparently unfit forward. If City had taken the competition a bit more seriously and considered one or two first teamers for the final 20 minutes coming off the bench, it could have been different.

Referee Brandwood didn't help the game. He was whistle happy and must have called play back for City to take a free-kick when they had retained possession and breaking forward with danger at least 3 times in the second half.

One of his few decisions which pleased the fans was booking Leon McKenzie, a one time City target, for diving as he went clear into the area and tried to round Mark Walton. His cousin, Duke, the ex-boxing world champ would never have hit the floor so easily.

City were now looking very poor. The only chances that arrived were a couple of lopping headers, comfortably taken by Tyler, and a Des Hamilton piledriver which went narrowly wide with Tyler well beaten, the ball smashed off a Grange End barrier and nearly broke it.

David Hughes, so dominant in his first team appearances, looked anything but on this occasion. Scott Young was short on fitness. Gethin Jones did ok but struggled when challenged by a tricky foreign winger while McCulloch must lose 2 stone by the looks of him, he wouldn't have looked out of place with many of us in the bar.

Des Hamilton, superb for the opening half, had faded out of the game while Mark Bonner had an uncharacteristically bad match, his passing was particularly poor. Leo put one of his displays which will only have his critics saying, "I told you so" and James Collins, after a strong start, was totally anonymous.

City hoped to change the game by introducing replacements with defenders Giles and Thompson introduced (for McCulloch and Gethin Jones) presumably in a bid for them to push on and create width which had totally gone from City's game. And changed the game they did as City rewrote the definition of the term 'supersubs'. 20 seconds later, it was 2-0 and game over with a defensive comedy of errors.

David Hughes totally missed the ball trying to kick like a donkey which ran wide, Scott Young was beaten and a chipped ball was put on a plate for Duke McKenzie to nod home yet he mis-headed totally. As the ball glided across goal, it really should have been danger over but City were so slow that they allowed Posh to retrieve the ball, beat Giles, and cross back into the area, Young was beaten in the air and the ball fell to McKENZIE who half stumbled as he turned the City defence but still had time to find himself clear and mishit the ball to Walton's right which passed under him too.

I counted at least 5 defensive errors or pieces of naivety in less than 10 seconds. It was staggering inept and sufficient to send half the crowd home with virtually quarter of an hour remaining.

City's reaction was to have one last throw of the dice but, unbelievably, take off Layton Maxwell for Kevin Nugent. Maxwell wasn't just the only player who looked like scoring but the only one who looked like creating too. It left City with a front line of Nugent, Leo and Collins - have we ever had a more immobile one? We obviously were going for Route One desperation.

The game was killed totally 3 minutes later with Posh's third goal. A simple through ball opened up the defence, Walton was too slow to see the danger and race off his line and newly introduced sub, FRANCIS GREEN, nipped in and placed home with ease from 15 yards.

City were totally gone as Peterborough had more potshots. Walton made a good save, held another, watched another whistle over and then was relieved to see a 20 yard effort smash off the top off his bar.

Instead, with the added time board displaying 3 minutes, City were awarded a penalty for no obvious reason. I assume Brandwood felt sorry for us and wanted to keep up our record of being the only club in all 4 divisions to have scored in every league and cup match.

A harmless ball was floated into the area from a central position, a couple of players jumped, penalty. KEVIN NUGENT took it and slammed home into the centre of goal, the ball just clearing Tyler's legs.

I would guess that unless City treat the FAW Premier Cup with similar contempt later in the season (and I'm sure they will), that's the last time we'll see many of these players in first team action. On this evidence, it's probably just as well in several cases. But as Alan Cork dismissed their efforts in the 7-1 demolition of Rushden, only giving Gavin Gordon a chance (and he had to score 5 goals to do that), you wonder how great the motivation is for some of them.

Report from www.sports.com
Cardiff City manager Alan Cork's decision to field his reserve team against what turned out to be near full strenghth Peterborough side backfired badly as The Bluebirds fell out of the LDV Trophy at a near deserted Ninian Park.

Peterborough cruised into the Southern section quarter finals thanks to a sixth minute penalty from Jimmy Bullard and second-half strikes by Leon McKenzie and substitute Francis Green. A Kevin Nugent 90th minute penalty after a handling offence was little consolation.

Cork's plan had worked wonders in the first round when he rested his entire first team and his reserves trounced third divisions newcomers Rushden and Diamonds but Peterborough were a much tougher proposition.

Even so, Cardiff's second string showed few signs of being overawed in the early stages and Peterborough goalkeeper Mark Tyler did well to hold a third minute corner from Mark Bonner when under pressure from Leo Fortune-West.

It was not long before Peterborough burst forward and a rash tackle by Scott McCulloch helped them to open their account just three minutes later.

Leading scorer McKenzie played fellow striker Neale Fenn into the penalty area and as Fenn lined up his shot, Scott McCulloch brought him crashing down.

It was an easy decision for referee John Brandwood and Bullard sent the penalty high to Mark Walton's right and into the roof of the net.

McKenzie should have doubled Peterborough's lead a minute later but his 15-yard shot lacked power and in the 13th minute his header from a Jon Cullen cross went straight to the goalkeeper.

But Cardiff were not completely out of it at that stage and, after Des Hamilton had shot wide, Layton Maxwell's superbly struck right-footed effort from 25 yards was brilliantly tipped over the bar by Mark Tyler.

Maxwell looked to be Cardiff 's best hope of creating a worthwhile opening but the former Liverpool and Wales under-21 star lacked support and it was Peterborough who came closest to another goal when David Oldfield forced Walton into a fine save with a powerful 20-yard drive.

Peterborough came close again in the 47th minute when Scott Young played off the line from Simon Rea after Cardiff had struggled to cope with a Bullard corner but The Bluebirds kept to their task and should have equalised three minutes later.

The impressive Maxwell broke strongly through the middle, moved out to the right and sent over a beautiful centre to just beyond the far post where Joshua Low was waiting. But the unmarked Low, for whom little went right all evening sliced it wide.

McKenzie, booked for diving in the 57th minute, made amends after 78 minutes when he had time to control Helgi Danielsson's cross from the right before beating Walton from the edge of the six yard box. Green had been on the field only three minutes when he raced on to a through ball to net Peterborough's third eight minutes from time.